TABE Reading Practice Test: Level E

Which word has a long a vowel sound?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

According to the article, which of these is one of the reasons people want to keep the penny?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

Read the sentence from the article.

Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter.

In the context of the article, what does the phrase, “go the way of the half dollar” most nearly mean?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

Look at the pie chart in the article.

Which section of the pie chart most clearly supports the information in Paragraph 3 of the article?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

What is the main idea of the article?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

Read the sentence from the article.

Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive.

Which of the following words could replace the word “accommodate” in the sentence above without changing the meaning?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

Which of the following best states the author’s opinion about the usefulness of the penny?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

Based on the article, which of the following sentences would the author agree with?

Chump Change

(1) One of the easiest ways to track the passing of time is to just look at the prices of products on the shelves of your local grocery store. Every year, inflation drives up the prices of the things you regularly buy. It’s this very idea that inspired US Representative Jim Kolbe to introduce radical legislation in 2001. The legislation didn’t pass, but the debate remains. What was Kolbe’s radical idea? Get rid of the penny.

(2) Think about it. Imagine a penny sitting on the side of the road as you walk by. Is it even worth your trouble to pick it up? Most Americans wouldn’t take the time to pick up a penny off the street. If people don’t even think the penny is worth picking up off the ground, it clearly doesn’t hold much worth to them.


Figure 1: Survey taken of 350 Americans between 18 and 24. Each was asked, “Would you pick up a penny if you saw it on the sidewalk?”

(3) Those who would like to see the penny go the way of the half dollar argue that getting rid of pennies would save people time, save the government money, and get rid of clutter. A study done by the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that pennies add an extra 2.5 seconds to each cash transaction (on average). That’s not a big number, but multiply it by the number of cash transactions a cashier sees each day, then multiply it by the number of cashiers at a store, then multiply it by the number of stores, and that number is considerably higher.

(4) Keeping the penny in circulation also costs the government money. According to one former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department, Aaron Klein, keeping the penny in circulation could cost the US Government almost $2 billion in losses over the next 30 years. That’s a lot of money for a little piece of copper that no one seems to value.

(5) Getting rid of the penny could have important consequences, though. The penny could be one of the things that keeps inflation from getting out of hand. Abolishing the penny might cause prices to soar even higher to account for the lack of a cent piece. Additionally, to accommodate people paying in cash, transactions would have to be rounded off to the nearest 5 cents, which could affect low-income families who rely on every penny to survive. Beyond that, most Americans don’t want to say goodbye to the penny yet. In a Harris Poll taken in 2004, only 23% of Americans surveyed favor abolishing the penny, with 59% of people opposing it. Without more opposition from American citizens, the penny may be here to stay, but for how long?

If you break the word nonexistent into its parts, “non-” represents which of the following parts of a word?

Read the sentence from the article.

Venus flytraps like wet, marshland areas, so they live near bogs.

Based on the context of the article, what are bogs?

Which of the following timelines shows the correct method with which a Venus flytrap traps its prey?

What is the main purpose of the article?

According to the article, what is one of the main things that is rare about the Venus flytrap?

14. Read the sentence from the article.

When pressure is applied to these hairs, the “mouth” snaps shut around the plant’s prey.

In the context of the sentence, what does “prey” most nearly mean?

According to the article, how does the Venus flytrap know to snap its “mouth” shut around an insect?

Which word has a long i vowel sound?

Which word has a short o vowel sound?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

According to the passage, which of these is a potential warning sign of a tornado?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

What is the main idea of the article?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

Read this sentence from the article.

When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado.

Which of the following is another way of saying approaching in this sentence?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

According to the passage, what two factors play a large role in the formation of tornadoes?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

According to the passage, why do tornadoes still baffle meteorologists?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

Which of the following answers is the most accurate estimate for how long tornadoes last once they have made contact with the ground, according to the passage?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

According to the bar graph, which state has averaged the most tornadoes?

Tornado Alert

(1) The United States of America experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world, so it is important for Americans, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be able to identify the warning signs. A tornado can cause an enormous amount of damage and threaten the lives of anyone in its path. If people better understand how to recognize when a tornado is going to touch down, a lot of lives will be spared.

(2) It is first important to understand how and why a tornado is formed. There are specific weather patterns that bring about a tornado. Basically, a tornado forms when the air temperature is instable, often caused by warm and humid temperatures low near the ground and cooler temperatures higher in the air. Tornadoes also rely heavily on wind conditions. There needs to be a lot of wind shear, or changes in the direction of the wind, for a tornado to form. Once a tornado forms, it will touch ground for no more than 20 minutes, but a tornado can do a lot of damage even in only a few minutes.

(3) So, how do people prepare themselves for a potential tornado? It’s all about noticing the warning signs. One thing people can look for is any noticeable and sudden shifts in the clouds and the sky. When the sky darkens and takes on a greenish color, for example, it could signal an approaching tornado. Similarly, an approaching cloud of debris could be a sign of a potential tornado forming, as well as the appearance of a “wall” of clouds. Sometimes, instead of debris, hail will begin to fall. Additionally, many people have described an eerie silence and stillness preceding a tornado. This is a prime example of the cliched phrase, “the calm before the storm.”

(4) Educating yourself on the warning signs of tornadoes, especially if you live in an area that experiences them often, can give you the precious moments you need to find shelter from the destruction. Tornadoes still baffle meteorologists because they are so difficult to predict. Meteorologists have gotten very good at detecting potential tornado threats, but even their best efforts won’t give you a lot of time to prepare if a tornado is on its way. It’s best to be able to pick up on the signals yourself and be as prepared as possible for if/when a tornado hits near your home.

According to the bar graph, which of the following is the closest to the average number of tornadoes in Illinois between 1990 and 2010?

Which word has a short e vowel sound?

Which word has a long u vowel sound?